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He will give you the desires of your heart
As an adult, I’ve owned and lived in six homes. Each one was nicer than the one before it. The home I live in now is beautiful, in a lovely community, with lots of room.
However, I’ve always wanted to live on the water.
But because this home has everything I need, I wonder if praying for a new waterfront home is selfish and not something I should waste precious prayer time doing.
It says in the Bible, God will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4) but what does that mean?
I’ve learned the key to this verse is in the first part::
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4, NIV). (emphasis mine)
As we take delight in the Lord and align ourselves with Him, our desires will also align with His.
But how will we know if our desires align with God’s?
I think it was best said by Father Tim in the Mitford book series by Jan Karon. The priest often prayed, “The prayer that never fails,” which is “Thy will be done.” It’s an act of faith to surrender our prayers — the desires of our hearts — to God.
Years ago, I lifted a prayer to God. I prayed for a specific outcome, but God did not answer that prayer. Instead, He provided a much better answer that I hadn’t even considered. The generosity and creativity overwhelmed me in His response. Since then, I have not limited my prayers to specifics but asked for His will to be done.
This reminds me that God is a good Father.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9–11, NIV)
As a parent and grandparent, I can relate to this. Just the other day, my granddaughter asked for a chocolate bar. I bought her a box of bars! I can’t help but want to give her the desires of her heart…plus more.
But when she asked to eat all the chocolate bars at once, I said no. I want the best for her. If she ate all the bars, she’d likely feel very sick, wouldn’t be hungry for a healthy supper, and may be sad that she had no treats left for the rest of the week.
So, I can also relate to God denying my prayers. He knows the past, the present, and the future. He knows if my prayer is good for me or not. He’s not limited to the specifics that I am.
I will continue to pray for a home on the water. But I plan to pray “Thy will be done” and accept if God never grants my prayer request.
You may also like Does God Answer Prayer?
Want to go deeper in your worship and walk with God? You’ll find this story—and many others that reveal the heart of true worship—in Prayer, Church & The Bible: Exploring Biblical Truths About True Worship, available on Amazon.